Gandhi's Early Satyagraha

Introduction

After the arrival of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa, he travelled around India to understand the situation of the people. In the year 1917, he entered into an active freedom movement with his leadership at Champaran in Bihar. The success of Champaran Satyagraha has attracted many freedom fighters, and they requested Gandhiji’s presence in their struggle against landlords and Britishers. In the year 1918, Mahatma Gandhi participated in two significant Satyagrahas at Kheda and Ahmedabad.

Champaran Satyagraha

The Champaran Satyagraha was the first active involvement of Gandhi in the Indian freedom movement. He becomes a part of the movement with the invitation of Pandit Rajkumar Shukla to fight for the oppressed Indigo cultivators. Gandhiji studied the oppression and atrocities faced by the indigo cultivators. The poor farmers and labourers in the Champaran district of Bihar were forced to cultivate indigo and some other cash crops to replace the food crops needed for their daily living and survival. They were brutally exploited and paid very little remuneration for their survival. At the same time, the British authorities imposed a heavy tax on these cultivators.

Lack of enough food and money has put them into extreme poverty, which has given them strength to fight against the government and their policies. People started protesting in various parts of Champaran and later, Rajkumar Shukla persuaded Mahatma Gandhi to fight for their cause, and the satyagraha began in Champaran.

The eminent lawyers, such as Anugrah Narayan Sinha, Brajkishore Prasad, Acharya Kripalani, and Rajendra Prasad, were there to accompany Mahatma Gandhi.

When he reached Champaran, he was arrested and later set free by the court. He continued his work in the place and recorded the statements of the cultivators. He realised the importance of creating awareness about sanitation and educated them in many areas. By understanding the popularity and nature of the movement, a committee was set up to enquire into the grievances of the farmers.

Later, the Champaran agrarian bill was passed, which became a great relief for farmers and cultivators. So the satyagraha was a successful event, and Gandhiji continued his journey to support the people who are struggling in different parts of the country.

Ahmedabad Satyagraha

The Ahmedabad Mill Strike, also known as the Ahmedabad Satyagraha, was Gandhiji's first hunger strike against British rule in India. Gandhi adopted a hunger strike as a weapon against the exploitative rule of the British. It was a strike initiated by the cotton mill workers in Ahmedabad in their strike against the management. The mill workers were demanding a wage hike due to the price rise and inflation caused by the First World War. The mill owners were reluctant to accept the wage hike. Gandhi interfered in the issue and demanded a wage hike and initiated public protests. He advised the mill workers to boycott the work till their demands were accepted by the mill owners.

Gandhi went on a hunger strike when he realised that the mill workers were losing their unity and the significance of the pledge they took regarding the work.

The strong method adopted by Gandhi had influenced the mill owners, and they were ready for a compromise. The strike ended and the mill workers were given a 35% increase in their wages.  Soon after the success at Ahmedabad, Gandhi took control of the Kheda satyagraha.

Kheda Satyagraha

The Kheda Satyagraha was organised by agitated farmers who were forced to pay high taxes due to crop failure and the spread of epidemics such as cholera and plague. The government had a clear understanding regarding the plight of the farmers, but they refused to reduce the tax imposed on them and instead demanded the full tax collection. During this time, Mahatma Gandhi advised the farmers in Kheda to withhold the payment of revenue till they accepted the proposal for remission of the tax. The protest is taking place in 1918 in Kheda, Gujarat state.

In the Kheda satyagraha, Mahatma Gandhi was assisted by able leaders like Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Ravi Shankar Vyas, Mohanlal Pandya, and Narahari Parikh. They have visited several villages and supported them in their revolt and also provided them with necessary political assistance. The tax revolt was supported by several communities and groups in Kheda. At some point, the farmers lost their property and land for non-payment of tax, but they stood for the cause.

Later, when the government realised the potential of the protesters and farmers, they tried to work out an agreement by suspending the tax for that particular year and the following year. The tax collectors were given instruction that the tax should be collected only from those who could afford to pay the revenue.  They also agreed to return the confiscated land. Sardar Vallabhai Patel became an active follower of Gandhi with the Satyagraha.

Conclusion

These were the major protests and satyagrahas.initiated by Mahatma Gandhi after his arrival from South Africa. He successfully tested his protest weapons like satyagraha and hunger strike to break the psychological strength of the opponents. These protests made him a national leader with several eminent followers.

FAQs

Qns 1. What was the significance of early satyagraha’s of Mahatma Gandhi?

Ans. With the successes at Champaran, Ahmedabad, and Kheda, Gandhiji established his influence in the entire realm of the national movement. He received wide recognition and was accepted as a national leader. It helped him to organise the path-breaking movements like non-cooperation, civil disobedience and the Quit India movement, which helped India to achieve independence.

Qns 2. What was the connection of World War I with these early satyagrahas?

Ans. They made Britain a party to the First World War and they also made India a part of the war. The entire Europe was facing several challenges in the form of financial instability, infrastructure destruction, poverty, unemployment, etc. due to the war. The European situation also affected the administration in India, especially in terms of finance consolidation. The government was very keen to collect maximum revenue from India to reconstruct Europe and Britain. This has terribly affected the Indians, and they have fallen into extreme poverty.